The Role of Opposition in Democracy

Md. Kamrul Hasan Arif, Lecturer of Law, BGC Trust University Bangladesh, Chittagong.
The role of the opposition is vital to the healthy growth of democracy and in the larger public interest. The role of opposition in parliament is a necessary and indispensable component of democracy. Democracy is an inclusive process in which all citizens, men and women representing all political and social forces in the country. The traditional role of the opposition can be identified under three components: the voice of the voiceless; an alternative to the ruling government; and official opposition. A fourth role has been evolved as a critical partner in nation-building.
It has long been acknowledged by the democratic theory that the principle of legitimate political opposition is one of the most fundamental components of any liberal democracy. However, when the term opposition is used, it largely refers to parliamentary opposition considered to be the ‘true’ form of opposition. In many democratic systems, the opposition has often been described as a minority party or parties that do not wield executive power, and the minority as a general rule does not have the competence to adopt decisions. In order to ensure equality of treatment between members of the governing majority and opposition parties, the Speaker of Parliament must be impartial in exercising his or her functions. Parliament provides a good forum for an effective opposition and must be used as such.
The primary role of the opposition is to offer a credible alternative to the majority in power. Moreover, by overseeing and criticising the action of the executive, it works to ensure transparency, integrity and efficiency in the conduct of public affairs and to prevent abuses by the authorities and individuals. It also works in scrutinizing the operations of the executive, that is, exercising the oversight of the implementation of the law from the angle of performance and accountability and, especially, the use of the finances granted to the executive for its work.
The role of the opposition is not to rule. But, the opposition must have the right to operate in a free and democratic atmosphere. The opposition also has access to state media equally. All state-owned media should afford fair opportunities and facilities for the presentation of divergent views and dissenting opinions to both the government and the opposition. The opposition shall be entitled to criticise the functioning of the courts or the executive. It shall be entitled to inquire about presumed human rights violations and to call for remedial action.
The opposition has the responsibility to be fair in the criticism of government policies. The opposition also has the responsibility to uphold and defend the sovereignty, unity and the national integrity of the country. It should therefore not engage in activities that could undermine the unity and stability of the state. A basic obligation of the opposition is to conduct its functions within the framework of the law, including the national constitution, civil and criminal law and parliamentary rules of procedure. Opposition parties are obliged to respect the law, like everybody else. Subject to the modifications of parliamentary immunity, the opposition may be held accountable for any unlawful activity, like any other organization and individual. The duties of the opposition are defined by political and behavioural rules, not by constitutional norms or parliamentary texts. Therefore, the duties of opposition do not require codification.
The political system in Bangladesh is dominated by two heritage parties. The robust democratic countries are implied player in the game of democracy in Bangladesh. It’s true that the opposition party in Bangladesh has a very little role to play in governance. We know that opposition parties are the unpaid but dedicated principal researchers for the government in power. Moreover, ruling parties typically use official resources to stifle opposition parties and perpetuate themselves in power. Therefore, opposition parties, for their part are substantially weak in Bangladesh.